A lap of the Nordschleife is long, some 12.9 miles, and Porsche tells us that a standard Cayman S completes the circuit in eight minutes and twenty seconds, just five seconds slower than a 911 Carrera. It's not a big difference, yet the Cayman S makes its way around the track with a completely different style. It slashes through corners as if it were a hologram from Gran Turismo 4, so obedient to the steering that it follows the racing line in demanding corners such as the sequence at Ex-Mhle ("water mill") almost effortlessly.
In comparison, the 911 Carrera again seems somewhat bigger and clumsier, and it's slower in the middle of a corner. Yet the 911's reassuring stability under braking as it squeezes down on all four tires gives you more confidence in places such as Schwedenkreuz (named for the nearby site where a tax collector was murdered in 1638 by deserters from the Swedish army), while the rearward weight bias keeps the rear tires under the car even while performing crowd-pleasing powerslides at Brnnchen ("little well"). The Cayman is quick, precise, and consistent, while the 911 is simply fast, fast, fast.
There's about a $12,000 difference in price between the Cayman S and the 911 Carrera, about $2500 for every second in the difference between their lap times around the Nordschleife. When it comes to pure performance, you have to ask yourself, why pay more? If you must, you can add active suspension, big wheels and tires, and the Sport Chrono package to the Cayman S and get a car that will lap as fast as a stock 911 S and yet cost less than a stock 911 Carrera.
No matter what the numbers say, of course, the 911's mystique will always make it the dominant car in this equation for Porsche traditionalists. But for everyone, the Cayman S represents a radical realignment of the planets in the Porsche solar system, as this is an "entry-level" car that delivers the serious performance that Porsche enthusiasts have always demanded. This is a real Porsche, so distinctive in style and driving performance that it has surprised even the engineers who built it. As the moral compass of the Nordschleife proves, the Cayman S points to true north.
Go back and read any competent tester’s views on the Cayman. To a man they say that, with more power, the Cayman would be able to eat the 911 for breakfast.
read the full story
